An iconic image by artist LS Lowry which was sold for £1.65m last year has gone on show at The Lowry in Salford.
The Railway Platform from 1953 was acquired by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) in an auction in November and is one of three Lowry works bought by the PFA in 2015 which are now on long-term loan to the Salford arts centre. The others are Man Walking (1960) and Footbridge at Droylsden (1955).
Five other Lowry works owned by the PFA are already on display at the venue: Going to the Match (1946), Going to the Match (1953), The Lake (1971), Mrs Swindells’ Picture (1967) and the artist’s original sketch for Going to the Match (1953).
Claire Stewart, curator of the LS Lowry collection at The Lowry, said: “We are indebted to the PFA for their ongoing commitment to displaying their LS Lowry collection in our gallery. The Railway Platform is a classic Lowry showing a whole range of characters crowded on a station platform waiting for their train.”
Gordon Taylor OBE, chief executive of the PFA, added: “The Railway Platform is a delightful addition to our collection displaying Lowry’s unique ability to capture a crowd but retaining the feeling of each individual’s personal solitude, whilst awaiting the steam train to take them to their venues for work, for holidays, for shopping, for visiting family – who knows? Pictures of railway stations are very rare in Lowry’s output which is surprising considering the rich opportunities they provide for a people watcher.”
The centre’s most famous PFA-owned work, Going to the Match (1953) has been on display since 2000.
The Lowry, Salford Quays. Free entry.